This invention relates to a soap dispenser of the type for dispensing flowable soap therefrom for instance, liquid soap and the like. More particularly, this invention relates to that type of soap dispenser having the main soap supply provided by a removable container which may be inserted into a soap supplying position within the dispenser and may be removed therefrom when the soap supply therein is exhausted for replacement by that or another container having a replenished soap supply therein. According to the principles of the present invention, the improvements include in such general combination, means for positively locating the container within the dispenser during container insertion into and while the container is in the soap supplying position, a more particular specific embodiment preferably also including added stabilizing for the container during such insertion and soap supplying positioning.
Various forms of soap dispensers for dispensing flowable soap have heretofore been provided and although certain of these prior soap dispensers have made use of granular soap, the most prevalent type is that dispensing liquid soap. In any event, even though various of the prior soap dispensers have been installed in the kitchens and bathrooms of homes, they are considered virtually indispensable in public and industrial washrooms. As applied to public and industrial washrooms, an individual washroom may include only one or two, but frequently includes relatively large numbers thereof which must be kept serviced with replenished soap supplies by the maintenance personnel charged with such duties. Thus, maintenance servicing of these soap dispensers is a factor of important consideration.
Certain of the soap dispensers of the type herein involved include a permanently assembled or mounted soap reservoir therein or thereon which contains the quantity of soap supply directed to a particular dispensing device and to be dispensed from the particular dispenser. Servicing of these dispensers with the permanently mounted reservoirs for refilling the same is accomplished by the individual pouring from a larger container into each of the individual reservoirs. This individual filling operation obviously requires some dexterity and care, and even then usually must be followed by a certain amount of cleaning to remove soap that is unavoidably spilled.
Since the advent of modern, economical plastics, it has become quite common to provide soap dispensers of the class and use hereinbefore described with removable and replaceable plastic containers, each serving as selectively removable main soap supply reservoir in each individual dispenser. The soap-filled individual containers are transported by the maintenance personnel to the site of each of the soap dispensers involved and usually by the mere opening of a dispenser cabinet, the empty plastic container of the dispenser is exposed for ready removal and replacement by the soap-filled container with a reclosing of the dispenser cabinet completing the soap supply replenishing operation. Thus, the replenishment of the dispenser soap supplies is much more conveniently accomplished so as to eliminate many of the problems of the dispensers having the permanently mounted soap supply reservoirs and the dispenser individual plastic containers, now empty, may be transported to a central location for discarding or refilling.
Although this removable, individual, soap supply container concept has proved to be quite satisfactory and does eliminate, or at least greatly simplify, the soap supply replenishment maintenance problems, certain difficulties with the prior constructions still persist and require solutions. One major consideration is that coupled with the fact that the removable plastic containers must be easily and conveniently insertable into and removable from their soap supplying positions within the dispensers, there is the important requirement of retaining compactness of the overall dispensers so that they are not only asthetically pleasing, but are not prohibitive in size. However, for maximum compactness, the removable plastic containers must be of particular shapes and contours smoothly fitting into and blending with the other components of the dispenser.
The consequences of this compactness requirement resulting in the removable containers of somewhat irregular and specifically adapted shapes is that the containers are only insertable into their soap supplying positions and removable therefrom in a single predetermined position, many times requiring a predetermined pivotal motion of the container during insertion and the opposite pivotal motion for removal. If a particular container is attempted to be inserted into the dispenser into a wrong position, the proper soap supply connection to the dispenser dispensing mechanism will not be properly established and, in many cases, the dispenser cabinet cannot be closed to place a dispenser in a properly operable condition. Thus, there must be some means integrated into the particular container shape absolutely requiring the maintenance personnel to properly insert the container into their proper soap supplying positions and this requirement to avoid maintenance difficulties has not been considered in many of the prior constructions.
In addition, even if a container is inserted into its dispenser while initially properly positioned, there is still the further problem of finally locating the container at the end of the inserting motion into its exact, compact soap supplying position relative to the dispenser dispensing mechanism to be supplied. Slight misalignments or variations in such container final positioning can result in lack of proper soap flow between the supplying container and the dispensing mechanism being supplied. Furthermore, in addition to this exact locating of the container into and in its final soap supplying position, it is also highly advantageous to provide final positive stabilization of the container in its soap supplying position for added insurance that the dispenser components will always remain properly coupled for a continued successful soap supplying and dispensing operation. Again, these various considerations have been lacking in the prior constructions.